Piloted with National Grid Gas in early 2011, the initiative has now been incorporated into the community engagement programmes of several clients including Northern Powergrid, Northumbrian Water, Scottish Power Energy Networks, Southern Water, Thames Water and Yorkshire Water.
Using animation as the chosen starting point, the campaigns have become an integral element of our community engagement strategies as well as those of our clients. The project is aimed specifically at primary schools within the local communities in which our work is taking place and aim to provoke young audiences into thinking about potential dangers and how they can be avoided.
To date, the initiative has produced three highly acclaimed UK-wide campaigns –
- Jack’s New Bike – focusing on the dangers of cycling in and around street works with a specific message around grab lorries and HGV vehicle visibility
- Jack’s Lucky Escape – illustrating the potential dangers associated with children playing in or around utility street works sites
- Safety at Roadworks – emphasising the importance of understanding street works warning signs and signals
Each campaign is supported by school visits (animation screenings, group activities, classroom discussions, Q&A sessions) and accompanied site visits organised and hosted by our contract-specific MUS customer liaison teams working in local communities. Participating schools are also provided with a range of teaching materials designed to support classroom discussion and reinforce the programme’s key safety messages.
The programme provides our customer liaison teams with an opportunity to forge strong links with the local communities in which we operate, ensuring that our work is understood, raising safety awareness across primary school age children and enabling MUS to demonstrate our commitment to working responsibly.
An online survey, created to monitor and measure the project’s effectiveness, has demonstrated overwhelmingly positive feedback:
- 99% of respondents believed the project supported public safety in a fresh and innovative way
- 99% of respondents believed the project was effective in delivering its chosen safety messages to the classroom
- 98% of respondents confirmed they would participate in future MUS safety initiatives for schools
- 100% of respondents believed the project created a positive image for the industry